Muscle tremors observed in white rhinoceroses immobilised with either etorphine-azaperone or etorphine-midazolam: An initial study

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dc.citation.volume92
dc.contributor.authorNasr M
dc.contributor.authorMeyer LCR
dc.contributor.authorBuss P
dc.contributor.authorFàbregas MC
dc.contributor.authorGleed RD
dc.contributor.authorBoesch JM
dc.contributor.authorPohlin F
dc.date.accessioned2025-09-18T23:28:21Z
dc.date.available2025-09-18T23:28:21Z
dc.date.issued2021-06-28
dc.description.abstractEtorphine-azaperone is the most commonly used drug combination for chemical immobilisation of free-ranging white rhinoceroses, but causes several profound physiological disturbances, including muscle tremors. The addition of benzodiazepine sedatives, such as midazolam, has been proposed to reduce the muscular rigidity and tremors in immobilised rhinoceroses. Twenty-three free-ranging, sub-adult white rhinoceros bulls were darted and captured using a combination of etorphine plus either azaperone or midazolam. Skeletal muscle tremors were visually evaluated and scored by an experienced veterinarian, and tremor scores and distance run were compared between groups using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. No statistical differences were observed in tremor scores (p = 0.435) or distance run (p = 0.711) between the two groups, and no correlation between these variables was detected (r = -0.628; p = 0.807). Etorphine-midazolam was as effective as etorphine-azaperone at immobilising rhinoceroses, with animals running similar distances. Although the addition of midazolam to the etorphine did not reduce tremor scores compared to azaperone, it might have other beneficial immobilising effects in rhinoceroses, and further investigation is necessary to elucidate possible methods of reducing muscle tremoring during chemical immobilisation of rhinoceroses.
dc.description.confidentialfalse
dc.identifier.citationNasr M, Meyer LCR, Buss P, Fàbregas MC, Gleed RD, Boesch JM, Pohlin F. (2021). Muscle tremors observed in white rhinoceroses immobilised with either etorphine-azaperone or etorphine-midazolam: An initial study. Journal of the South African Veterinary Association. 92.
dc.identifier.doi10.4102/JSAVA.V92I0.2142
dc.identifier.eissn2224-9435
dc.identifier.elements-typejournal-article
dc.identifier.issn1019-9128
dc.identifier.numbera2142
dc.identifier.urihttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/73575
dc.languageEnglish
dc.publisherAOSIS
dc.publisher.urihttp://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8252159/
dc.relation.isPartOfJournal of the South African Veterinary Association
dc.rights(c) 2021 The Author/s
dc.rightsCC BY 4.0
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectazaperone
dc.subjectbutorphanol
dc.subjectetorphine
dc.subjectimmobilisation
dc.subjectmidazolam
dc.subjectmuscle relaxation
dc.subjectmuscle tremors
dc.subjectwhite rhinoceros
dc.titleMuscle tremors observed in white rhinoceroses immobilised with either etorphine-azaperone or etorphine-midazolam: An initial study
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.elements-id502831
pubs.organisational-groupOther
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